Tag Archives: Tyler Adams

BDN takes a look at how things are going on the recruiting front in our latest detailed update. If you want to know who the Blue Devils are seriously interested in and their likely strategy, read on. Join BDN Premium for full site access and be there every step of the way as we cover every major AAU event as warm weather rolls in. At BDN, we focus in on the players you want to hear about by concentrating only

A lot of talk surrounds Austin Rivers these days, [private] but nothing has really changed. Duke expects to sign Rivers by the end of summer but as I have stated numerous times, the decision could come sooner and maybe, just maybe, even later. The bottom line is that Duke has a significant lead and that has been the case throughout the threads which total 50,000 views collectively where people hang on every little blip on the radar. My suggestion is to sit back and relax and allow this to happen for it is on pace. The Rivers camp will not make any kind of move until the NBA playoffs are over and that could be in July if they keep winning.

Duke recently reached out to Anthony Davis, a top notch prospect from Chicago, Krzyzewski's old stomping grounds. They will be taking a good long look at him once they are allowed to take in events. Andrew and myself will be sure to keep a eye out for him as we get to know him better together. With a busy AAU tournament schedule coming up, we see no reason in calling him before we see him play.

The Duke staff will also continue to evaluate players they've developed early relationships with. Among those will be QuincyMiller, Marshall Plumlee and Amir Williams. The Blue Devils will be looking at other players as well to see who emerge as the humid days of summer give way to September.

Duke will continue to recruit Miller while look at others as well. BDN Photo

One of the questions I often get is how may players does Duke look to sign in 2011. The answer is that number could vary from three to five. Duke is happy having steady swingman Michael Gbinije and ever improving Tyler Adams in the fold and they of course want Austin Rivers as well. The fourth and fifth guys would come into play of Duke experiences a mass exodus to the NBA. That is a pretty good possibility for Mason Plumlee and Kyrie Irving could join Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith in the first round. If Duke somehow defends the title this is almost certain to happen but we all know how hard that is. Regardless, Duke will have a target on on their backs again in that they are the likely pre season number one team in the country. Duke will only sign a guard in 2011 if Irving or Curry leave.

The great thing about winning the national championship is that Duke can once again be selective and with another banner season seemingly coming, the Blue Devils will remain hot and in the spotlight. That means they'll take their time with a bevy of names that will grow in the coming months. We told you last summer that Duke assistants loved Alex Murphy's game and he is a hot name at the moment, but Coach K needs to check out his game. Shabazz Muhammad has impressed them immensely. It helps that the Team USA training facility is where Duke can keep a close eye on the talented Vegas native. While some would have you think J.P. Tokoto is already a Tar Heel, Duke is not buying that just yet and they are still involved withthe athletic prospect. Amile Jefferson, who Andrew interviewed just last week is also an early name on the radar. Again, there are other names that will come to light some of which you already know of and others who will be new when Duke can get their views in July an open period for events. Duke is not rushing the process with any of the above mentioned names at this time.

I was waiting for some new info but it has been delayed so I'll add an addendum later. [/private]

Coach K wasted little time in coming over to ackonwledge his family after his amazingly special team won his fourth national title. Family is a keyword in the Blue Devils program as many players still seek advice and work out in the facilities. You can always come back to Duke if you are a player and Coach K uses his influence to help those who committed to him out. Coach K is pictured her with his daughter Debbie and his grandson on the court of Lucas Oil Arena - BDN Photo

DURHAM - Well, there is nothing like going into summer with a national championship in tow for Duke fans and the program. It's amazing how many positives come out when you are the last team standing. One of the first and most important things is how a title helps with recruiting. The Blue Devils coaches cannot be out on the road this month and NCAA rules have shortened their window of opportunities in seeing kids but that is just a blip in the radar.

Duke garnered a lot of respect with their win which is evident when BDN talks to several future prospects on the recruiting trail. Doors have been opened and negative recruiting against the Blue Devils is tougher for unscrupulous opponents. Take your pick of a few accusations that must now be taken off the table. Big men do not develop at Duke? Did anyone see how awesome Brian Zoubek was down the stretch?

That is just one of many accusations used against Duke but we'll not get into that here for that is a story for another warm day. What we can tell you is that when Duke calls they get kids attention. A simple letter from Duke gets kids excited. One prospect recently told BDN in a proud manner that Duke was now involved for his services, yet all he had was a letter but his interest may mean the Blue Devils take a closer look.

The Duke staff sends feelers out to several prospects but only a few make the grade and remain on the radar after the staff takes in open gyms and the grassroots events otherwise known as AAU basketball.

And prospects and their parents are wising up to the negative barbs by doing more research on their own. It is well documented that many in the media want to play Duke up as the evil giant or that they are hated by many, but if one digs deep you'll see that there is little research done prior to what seem like monthly rant fests. Many unproven accusations have been sent the Blue Devils way and the curious thing is this seems to come more from shoddy journalism of late. All it takes is one hater to get the ball rolling and then another media type might pick it up and roll with it not knowing there were few proven facts. This in turn snowballs due to less stringent media requirements of the day and gullible people who believe anything they read on the web.

Face it, in the dawning age of the world wide web, falsehoods are a dime a dozen and with major search engines giving "Joe," off the street a chance to pass himself off as a legitimate and better yet knowledgeable writer for one of the many fan type sites that are butchering traditional journalistic integrity. I cannot tell you how many times I have to shoot down rumors in our members forum from people who take these want to be insiders or new age journalist word. That would for example be the word of a guy with no track record who has never seen Duke play in person nor one who might live in say, ACC country. Their sources? Why it's what they hear in the sea of shoddy modern day reporting where assumptions often take the place of fact.

One of the prospects Krzyzewski wants to coach in the future is Austin Rivers, son of Glenn "Doc" Rivers former NBA player and coach of the Boston Celtics. Read more about the Rivers recruitment on BDN Premium

The truth is the truth and the fact is that Duke is more than ethical in their approach to recruiting and they have a track record for such. And keep in mind that when you are on top, everybody literally gangs up on you. When the Duke staff walks into events like say the Peach Jam a top notch Nike ran development camp for prospects, there will be respect for the job they did winning the title from other coaches, but once they have passed you can see some of them start to talk, heck, I've even heard it firsthand.

But the prospects themselves certainly know Coach K [Krzyzewski] is in the house and that they are coming off a national championship where they beat the numbers 2, 3, 10 and 12 teams in the country to gain the ultimate trophy. But of course, Duke had an easy road, right? Okay, enough on some members of the media and their hate.

The Blue Devils were already enjoying good recruiting efforts with Josh Hairston, Kyrie Irving and Tyler Thornton in the class of 2010 already in the fold and due on campus in late June. But they have most recently received two early verbal commitments from Michael Gbinije and Tyler Adams, two solid prospects which should prove to be part of a puzzle.

And if you dig some facts up, you'll find that both Gbinjie's and Adams families were in approval in that they knew the opportunity that was at hand for their sons. I mean, how many kids parents wouldn't want to play for a coach who has four national titles, an Olympic Gold Medal and a track record for success?

Make no mistake, Krzyzewski's duties with Team USA have been a positive. While I was trying to get away from talking more of the media I cannot help but reflect on how many negative articles existed saying that Kryzyzewski was hurting Duke by taking the job. Are you kidding me? The guy wins a Gold medal and in the process becomes an even better coach.

Tyler Adams a 6-9 banger from Mississippi is the latest prospect to cast his lot with the Blue Devils. BDN Photo

How attractive is this to kids knowing that Krzyzewski talks on a regular basis with the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James? I mean, Kryzyzewski has proven he can mold the best our country has to offer into champions and this most certainly is a positive. in that he played a big role in putting USA basketball back on top. A deep involvement in USA Basketball opens a lot of door and his contacts with NBA types along the way surely helps in learning from the games best. In short, he can tell kids how Dwight Howard or the many other stars prepare and enlighten them on the little intangibles which could very well make them a better player.

Duke recruiting is also aided by the staff of Chris Collins, Nate James and Steve Wojciechowski [Wojo} form one of the best assistant coaching staffs in America and they can point to facilities akin to the best in the country as just one of the many selling points. But they all come back to Coach in their spills and for good reason.

While interviewing Chris Collins going into the West Virginia game in Indianapolis I made the statement that I had not seen him look this fresh since in a decade. Collins agreed with that statement and elaborated on it in an interview in BDN's archives and the very next day the man himself made the comment that he felt fresher than ever and Duke was finally getting some of the positive coverage it deserved.

It's hard to call Duke a rejuvenated program for they won more games in this decade than any other team, but rest assured some new approaches have worked wonders and it shouldn't be hard to see that Krzyzewski is firmly entrenched at Duke despite the silly if not ridiculous rumors that he was interested in the New Jersey Nets job which was more shoddy journalism.

Kryzyzewski is totally into his coaching these days and he is enjoying each and every challenge along the way. The 2010 Duke team was special in many ways and their success is proof that Duke is still Duke and that they are always playing for the big prize .

And on the recruiting trail? Duke is red hot and the proof of that will come soon enough when kids continue to want to play for a program that is family for life and one that is a proven winner on and off the court. Negative recruiting and articles will continue but Duke forced the nation to take a deep look when the Blue Devils were in the national spotlight. And they saw the truth, that the national champions were a tight knit group of great kids who showed the heart of their coach. And none of them had their noses stuck up in the air as some would have you think. They also saw the real Krzyzewski and the real program and the best thing of it all is that some media members may actually start to figure out that a team that helped gave CBS it's highest ratings in ten years is not so hated after all.

The proof is in the pudding and the ingredients formed a champion.

Follow Duke Basketball Recruiting by joining BDN Premium for full site access and continued updatesfrom our experienced team of analyst.

It was no real surprise when Tyler Adams [6-9, 250 Brandon, Mississippi] pulled the trigger to play his college basketball at Duke University making him the second commitment in the class of 2011, the other being Michael Gbinije. You learned from BDN last week that Coach Krzyzewski and Nate James dropped in on Adams for an open gym and that was pretty much the clincher.

With Adams Duke fills a need in the middle in that Adams is a back to the basket, true post player which is rare these days. Adams told BDN that he was honored that Duke started recruiting him last year and he liked the way Coach Krzyzewski told him how he would be used in the system. "I like to bang," said Adams in the three interviews BDN had with the prospect.

Adams also had high praise for Duke Assistant Coach Nate James who helped him to understand the opportunity at hand. Adams will next participate in the Nike EYBL and once again BDN Premium will cover that event. In fact, we'll have reports from this weekend's LeBron James Shooting Stars event by this evening, so check back in.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Nate James dropped in on Tyler Adams during an open gym on Tuesday and BDN Premium has the center prospects thoughts on the visit. Will he visit Duke soon? Is Duke still his leader? You'll have to join to find out and once you do, talk about the latest on our private members only message board which is the fastest growing Duke forum on the web. BDN Photo

Make no mistake that Duke is working the recruiting trail hard and they are in no way resting on their laurels. Of course, when you are coming off a national championship, everybody takes notice when you walk through the doors. And that was the case when Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his assistant Nate James took in an open gym in Mississippi where one of their top targets, Tyler Adams, [6-9 PF, C, Brandon, MS] was on display.

"There were a lot of people from the school trying to come in the gym and get his autograph and get a picture of him. Every coach has been by, but it was different when Coach K came.," said Adams when questioned about Krzyzewski's visit.

"Duke came to watch me yesterday and everything went Recruiting is red hot on BDN Premium. Join now and don't miss a beat. [private] real well and my family was able to see Coach K for the first time, so that was good," said Adams

The Blue Devils staff could not talk with the Adams family per NCAA rules, nor Tyler for that matter but it was obvious by his answers that he appreciated the visit.

"I've talked to Coach K three or four times on the phone and I've got a pretty good relationship with him," said Adams who has yet to talk to Krzyzewski in person. It's an honor to be offered by Duke and I'm pretty interested in them," said Adams.

The Mississippi native continued the conversation stating he had visitors today as well. "Michigan State came to visit me today and Alabama and Memphis. I'm being recruited by a lot of people but basically those are the schools coming hard with Mississippi State."

Adams also confirmed to the Blue Devil Nation that Duke is the leader at this time for his services. Adams also said that he would be visiting Duke soon and that is the only visit he has set up. "I am going to take a visit to Duke in first part of June. That's the only visit I have set so far."

When asked how Krzyzewski would use him at Duke, Adams stated, "He basically told me that they don't have a back to the basket player on their team who likes to bang. He said he would use me with my back to the basket and let me bang. I am not a guy that floats out on the perimeter, I just like to stay in the blocks."

Adams also praised his relationship with Nate James by saying, "I got a real good relationship with Coach James. We've talked several times about things other than basketball too."

After three consecutive weeks of AAU play, Adams has the next three weeks off and he plans to workout a lot during that time. His Jackson Tigers team will next attend the Nike EYBL Session II which is held in Houston, Texas. [/private]

Tyler Adams told BDN that Duke was his leader. Blue Devil Nation Premium was on the scene in Hampton, Virginia for the Nikle EYBL Session I and we'll bring you behind the scenes activities, scouting reports and interviews all week long. Join BDN Premium for full site access. BDN Photo

HAMPTON - BDN was on the scene at this weekends Boo Williams Invitational which is now known as the Nike EYBL Session I where we took in the nations top basketball prospects. We'll be churning out interviews and scouting reports as the week progresses and we'll start it off with Tyler Adams.

If you are a member you have already had an introduction to Adams, but we've yet to really concentrate on his play at AAU events. Adams is a back to the basket player, a true center if you will. That's the kind of player Duke has an opening for and Adams was offered about five weeks ago.

During the interview Adams [6-9 1/2 Brandon High School, Brandon Mississippi, AAU Jackson Tigers, Class of 2011] stated that Duke was his leader and that he would be visiting the campus soon. For his exact comments and a scouting report, check out our latest interview with the hulking star.

How do you feel you've played thus far in this event?

I feel like I played pretty good, physical and everything, better in the second half than the first half of this game.

About a month and a half ago and once they called me they came pretty hard.

Have you talked with Coach K [Krzyzewski] yet?

Yeah, yeah. I talked to him about two or three times. My Dad talks to him a lot.

Your Dad grew up a Duke fan, right?

He said he's been liking Duke ever since he was a little boy.

When do you plan on making a decision as to where you'll play in college?

Early this summer.

Are you planning any visits in the near future?

I'm probably going to visit Duke in June when I get out of school.

What can Tyler Adams work on to make his game better?

Right now I'm working on conditioning and I need to work on my jump shot to increase my range.

Three words which best describes you on the court would be?

[said without hesitation or pondering thoughts] Big, physical and strong

Three words which best fit you off the court?

[smiling] Nice, goofy and outgoing.

Did Duke say how they would use you if you chose to play there?

I'm a back to the basket guy and they don't have anyone big and physical like that.

Is Duke the favorite.

Right now? Yeah, yeah.

Are there any hold ups in the process with Duke?

Not really, no. I'm just trying to get my grades straight right now.

Who is the lead assistant at Duke for your services?

Coach James. [Nate James]

Did James or Krzyzewski say how they would use you if you picked them?

Being able to come in and be physical, play big and be a physical presence.

Thanks for your time and good luck in the rest of the weekend.

Yes sir. Thank you.

Synopsis - Adams needs some work on his grades but if they fall into place, Adams will pick the Blue Devils. The decision could come the moment the aforementioned matters are wrapped up.

My take on his game - Adams is a back to the basket player that has a quick first leap but needs work on the timing of his jump. He is a true center type or a player who could play two positions, that being the post or power forward. Needs work on his shooting mechanics, especially from the free throw stripe and has limited range at this stage of his development. He seems unselfish on the offensive end and can flush a dunk or take it to the paint. He can float out for the jumper but that is not his strength at this time. He alters shots and seems to want to be around the play, not taking too many plays off if any during my two views of his game. He is capable of controlling the glass, but needs some work on his footwork for positioning. He can clean up on misses with follow shots and had 3 blocks in one game albeit against a smaller team. We'll keep track of his progress and Andrew Slater and other will chime in on his game in the near future. [/private]

Well, one would think that not a lot is going on in recruiting while Duke is in the NCAA Tournament, but think again! Duke extended an offer to 6-9 Tyler Adams of Brandon Mississippi. The Blue Devils ... Don't you think it's time to join BDN Premium? Read the rest of this article and discuss the happenings with other members or visit the chat room which is open at all times and get the skinny on the NCAA and AAU trail. [private] are actively seeking a power forward center type and Adams fits the bill. At 235 pounds, he is able to muscle players around and he is still filling out according to his coach. Adams holds offers or has strong interest from Florida, Kentucky, Memphis and Oklahoma. Duke feels that they need a player like Adams who likes to mix it up down low. His strength is one of his major assets, but he needs to work on a go-to move on offense. Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski called an offered him last evening. More to come at the place for recruiting and Duke coverage. [/private]